THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, May 5, 1996 TAG: 9605030056
SECTION: HOME PAGE: G3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JEANNE MOONEY, SPECIAL TO HOME & GARDEN
LENGTH: Medium: 71 lines
ADULT SUPERVISION is the surest means of preventing mishaps around the pool or spa.
But there are many accessories - from automatic pool covers to infrared detectors - that can help even the most vigilant parents and pool and spa owners.
``You have to have three or four levels of security to be perfectly safe,'' says Tom Sharpe, co-owner of Polynesian Pools in Virginia Beach. ``What you need to protect against are toddlers.''
Sharpe recommends:
Dead bolt locks on top of any gates in the fencing that surrounds the pool area;
An alarm system on doors leading to the pool area that must be disarmed each time it is tripped; A child safety fence of nylon mesh that is installed close to the water's edge and anchored to holes drilled in the decking. The mesh fence can be removed by adults.
The National Spa and Pool Institute, a group that sets ethical and professional standards for the industry, recommends that a pool or spa be equipped with devices that warn of a child's approach or delay his access to a pool or spa.
Among the safety measures:
A 4-foot-high fence that surrounds the pool or spa or the property on which it sits. State law requires this fencing around pools or spas that hold more than 2 feet of water. The fence must be inaccessible to small children and have a self-closing and self-latching gate. Contact your municipal building department for details.
An alarm system, required by state law, that activates when someone opens a door leading to the pool or spa. This applies where a wall of a home is considered to be part of the barrier around the pool or spa. The tone of the alarm must be different than your telephone or doorbell.
Cheri Hainer, Virginia Beach's building code administrator, says the requirement can be waived if the pool or spa owner agrees in writing to accept responsibility for any mishap that occurs when the alarm is absent.
Automatic safety covers. These are made of a mesh material, strong enough to support a person's weight. They unfurl across the top of a pool with the touch of a button. They are pricey, Sharpe says, running $8,000 to $12,000.
Manually installed covers are available for pools and spas. Over a spa, it is a secure lid. Over a pool it anchors to the decking. Sharpe recommends getting a mesh cover for a pool so the water doesn't collect during the winter, setting up another potential hazard.
Infrared detectors. Set up around a pool and spa, it goes off when someone enters the perimeter.
Pool alarms. These sit in the pool and sound when someone enters the water.
Sharpe says he wouldn't use a pool alarm. Many are battery operated, and parents may not know when the batteries no longer work. And, Sharpe says, a child may not make enough of a splash entering the water to activate this type of alarm.
``I think it gives a false sense of security,'' he says.
Child alarms. Attached to a child's body, this sounds when a child exceeds a certain distance or sinks below the water.
A life ring and hook.
A cordless telephone. So parents can chat and watch their children. And to call for help in an emergency. ILLUSTRATION: Photo courtesy of NATIONAL SPA AND POOL INSTITUTE
Automatic pool covers made of a mesh material strong enough to stand
on can contribute to pool safety. But they are pricey, running about
$8,000 to $12,000.
by CNB